The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1887-03-10
Gm M,tdliqetceG
wuEEL1No, v. VA, MARCH io:Slss7.


High License W.. Prohibition.
To show the inconsistency Of the Prohi.
bitionista It Is only necessary to cite the
contest in New York State where they
havo formed an alliance with the saloon
keepers to defeat high licenBe. This has
encouraged tho opponents OF the measure
to renewed effort. The st. John men have
been particularly active, and havo stopped
at nothing to insure the rejection Of the
$1,000 tax on the New York and Brooklyn
saloons and to %perpetuate the rule Of rum
In those great cities. The Rev. DR.. Peter
Funk, one Of the leading Prohibitionist
cranka, made tho following ioolign TRADE
against the high tax on run in New York
the other night:
High licenao 10 Objectionable because
1t isn't restrictive lettering to tho pro.
posed 81, 000]. 1t torceu the saloons into
tho hands OF brewers and distillers, and
into %politico, too. [It Ia In politics now.
High license doesn't work in practice. RI
Instead oireduclng tho number OF saloons
1t aggrayates the evils. [Ths! Is Il lie
The politicians arc in the control OF the
saloons, and the saloons have now added
houses Of ill.isme and gambling hells to
their places Of buainets. Whore under
low license the liquor business aaid 10 tue
father "Give mo your son." Under high
liCenEe 1t says "Give mo your daughter
also" This Ia IN abominable fraud on
his listeners, rs the p~ractfca was in greater
vogue under low l!cense.l High license
In Chicago Is q deluBion and a fraud. l
spent two nights visiting Bsloons thcre
with q friend after the hour the law aaid
they must DO closed 10 find that out.
ut is not true that high license ia not
restrictive, as DR.. Peter Funk s~gserts,
says the Chiccso Tribune, Tor where it is
properly enforced by officials in sympathy
with tho lGw, aa in Joliet, in Illinois,
whsre the number OF sRloons, has been re-
duccd by 81, 900 tax from LOG to forty, and
where nearly all the doggeries have been
wiped out and q general improvement in
tina liquor traffic secured. But eyen in
Chicago, where the officials are uufriendly
to the law, it has undoubtedly kept down
the number Of drinking places ut least
1000 aud improved the character Of the
bulk OF them, The evils Of which DR..
Pe;er Funk. complain8 in connection with
Chicago saloons he must needs know arc
not the result Of the tax N liquor,
but Of the lax enforcement OF the city or.
dinences against houses Of ill-fame and
their hsbituee. 1t Ia surely not the fault
Of tho $500 tax on liquor that the saloons
are permitted by the Mayor to remain
open after midnight, contrary to the city
ordinances, or that they are connected
with immoral places and gambling.houses.
Those places exist contrary to the ordi-
nances and the laws by the convenience
Of tho city officials, and they existed in
this city bsfore the high tax was imposed,
ag DR.. Peter Funk knows, unless he re-
fused to learn the facts, which would seem
to BE- the case from the meas Of misziaios-
nation he carried away from here and ,.
retailing in New York. -
ut 10 also untrue that high ~liceree
brings the saloon question into politics.
On the contrary, it keeps il out OF politics.
Since our High.License Law was passed."
continues the tribune, 1.-THE aaioon ques-
ton has not influenced our State or
city or county politics in the least.
For q dozen years before the High
License law was enacted tbs saloons. were
active factors in sl our politics, and
through their did tho criminal classes
and ba!lot.box Btuiters carried our city |
and county elections. Tho preaent
Mayor owes each Of bis elections to ss-
loon influence. Tho Last time he ran only
q part OF the saloons took al active part
at the polls, and his old 10000 majority
melted out Of sight, and no retained his
position by counting in tho votes OF GOO
unnaturalized Italians cast In one ward.
Tho truth Of the matter is, that tho Pfohi-
bition cranks are at hesrt allies Of the |
Democratic rum party in Now York now,
rs they were in 1854, when, with the HELM
OF their decoy.duck candidate, ST.. John,
thoy contributed to the election Of Cleye-
land, who takes hia buS.juics straight.
They want to cover up their hypocrisy By
stale, muaty, snd hypocriticsl arguments"
I